This invention relates to a method of printmaking, and more specifically a method of printmaking that utilizes an engraved plate, which is then coated with viscous phosphorescent paint and placed in contact with a photo-sensitive emulsion, thereby producing a print.
A print is a form of art composed of ink on paper. A print is created not by drawing directly on paper, but rather through an indirect transfer process. The artist begins by creating an image on another surface. After the image is formed, the artist covers that surface with ink. A sheet of paper is then placed in contact with the inked surface and run through a printing press. Due to the pressure exerted by the press, the image is transferred from the surface to the paper, producing a print.
Various printmaking techniques have evolved throughout the years. The three best known techniques are (1) relief printing, (2) intaglio printing, and (3) lithographic printing. While all three techniques produce prints, the way the prints are produced by each technique is unique. Therefore, each technique necessitates a separate discussion.
Relief printing is the oldest, most direct method of printing. In this technique, the artist starts with a block of wood, or other smooth, flat surface. Next, the artist cuts away the entire flat surface, except for the image itself. The raised portion of the surface, which is the image, is then rolled with ink. After the image is inked, a sheet of paper is placed on top of the block and either placed in a press or hand-burnished. The paper is then lifted away from the block and the image appears, in reverse, on the paper.
Contrary to relief printing, in intaglio printing (e.g., etching and engraving) the image is formed below the surface of the plate. The image is hand-cut or acid-etched into a flat, metal plate by the artist. Once the image is complete, the artist spreads inks over the plate. Next, the artist removes the ink from the surface of the plate, leaving only the ink that remains in the incised design. The plate is then placed face-up on an etching press. A sheet of dampened paper is laid on top of the plate, padded with felt blankets, and run through the press. Pressure forces the paper into the etched lines of the image, which consequently produces the image, in reverse, on the paper.
Conversely to both relief printing and intaglio printing, lithographic printing relies on the simple principle of the incompatibility of oil and water. In lithographic printing, an artist creates an image by using oil-based materials on a flat surface while keeping the areas not to be printed wet with water. Next, the artist deposits oil-based ink onto a stone that adheres only to the image. The inked stone is then covered with paper and placed on a lithographic press. The pressure from the press creates the image, in reverse, on the paper.
While relief, intaglio, and lithographic printing are the most popular techniques, all printmaking techniques have been a popular medium in the art world for centuries. Printmaking is a popular medium because it allows an artist to create multiple, almost identical impressions of the same block or plate. Unfortunately, there are a few common characteristics between the different printmaking techniques that currently restrict students, who are constrained by resources, and printmakers from fully exploring and developing the art of printmaking.
First, the current methods of printmaking require a great deal of time. For example, a plate must be re-inked after a print is produced. Also, one press must often be shared by many students and printmakers; and if there is no press, students and printmakers must spend their lime hand-burnishing their prints. Thus, replacing a plate""s ink, waiting to use the press, and hand-burnishing a print all consume a great deal of a timexe2x80x94time that could be better spent learning new aspects of printmaking.
Second, the current methods of printmaking require a large volume of expensive printing equipment. For instance, a printing press and lithography chemicals are needed to attain high quality and quantity prints. This requirement restricts both students and printmakers who cannot obtain a printing press and/or lithography chemicals. Moreover, even if the proper equipment can be obtained, the edges of a plate gradually round and collapse due to the high pressure of the press. This rounding and collapsing of the plate lessens the quality of the print over time. Therefore, the constraints posed by the necessary printing equipment greatly restrict both students and printmakers.
Third, even if the proper printing equipment can be obtained, and regularly replaced, the equipment has limitations. For example, tonal variations in prints cannot be obtained in woodcuts. Consequently, students and printmakers must move to metal etchings and lithography, which use a vast number of chemicals and still require an ink application after every print.
Thus, there is a need for an efficient printmaking process so that students and printmakers are not forced to expend their time re-inking a plate, waiting for a press, or hand-burnishing a print. There is a further need for a printmaking method that does not require a high quantity of quality printmaking equipment. Finally, there is a need for a printmaking method that allows students and printmakers to achieve tonal variations in their prints.
These needs and others may be met by the present invention which has an aspect which is a printmaking method comprised of four main steps. The first step of the method requires that a plate be provided in which one surface of the plate contains cavities that form an image. These cavities can be formed by engraving, etching, or carving into the surface of the plate. The second step of the method requires that a coating of viscous phosphorescent paint be applied over the surface of the plate. The third step of the method requires that the plate be exposed to light and placed in contact with a photo-sensitive emulsion, such as photographic paper or liquid-photographic emulsion. The final step of the method requires that the photo-sensitive emulsion be developed, thereby producing the finished print.
Another aspect of the present invention is a print comprised of a developed photo-sensitive emulsion, which has been exposed to a plate containing an image coated with light-emitting viscous phosphorescent paint. The print can be a black and white print, a black and white print containing tonal variations and/or texture, a monochromatic print, or a color print.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are not limiting but are intended to provide further explanation of the invention claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, arc included to illustrate and provide a further understanding of the method and system of the invention. Together with the description, the drawings serve to explain the principles of the invention.